Every day we consume millions and millions of burgers. Most of them from fast food restaurants. Most of them adequate at best. They may fill you up, but to be satisfied you are hitting the fries, the sodas, and shakes at the same time.

Where, where do you go for a great burger? One that, all by itself, is totally satisfying.

Those are fighting words. There are websites devoted to the best burger by city. Once or twice a year, the New York Times food section will delve into the world of burgers. And, of course, only in New York City can you find burgers for $20 or $40 or more. Pricey may mean exotic, and interesting, but what if you want great?

Here’s a basic culinary secret. You are just minutes away from having that great burger. You can do it yourself. The secret? Fat. Don’t get nervous. Not too much fat, but enough.

When you shop for burger meat, you eye is often caught by the appeal of bright red meat. Red means fresh. The fresher the better. So the redder, the better.

That might be good logic, but it’s bad cooking. The fact is that great taste in food usually comes from the combination of all the components in the dish. And it is the salt, the butter, and, yes, the fat that contribute to the success of your dish.

If you sample the current round of burger books, you’ll discover a common theme: make your burger with ground chuck that is 80% lean. That means 20% fat. That’s the combination of meat and fat you need for burger success.

Last weekend, we went to our local market upstate and saw some nice chuck that was 85% lean. Too much meat, not enough fat. We asked the butcher if he could grind up something for us that was fatter. He gave us a knowing look, and said, “I’ll give you the best burger meat you have ever had.” He truly delighted in being able to create, from scratch, what experience told him was the right thing to do.

His meat was a bit like peppermint candy. Red and white stripes. We made the burgers and in two bites we simultaneously concluded that these were the best, best burgers we ever had. And, yes, I have splurged on that $40 creature in New York City. It was good. Ours last weekend was great.

As a nation, we had almost lost all our local butcher shops. Most markets have cryovaced meat, meat that is cut, packaged, and frozen in the Midwest. All your butcher does it put a price sticker on the product.

But now, neighborhood by neighborhood, there is a wonderful resurgence in having meat cut for you locally. Or ground locally. More and more supermarkets know they need to offer this service to their clientele, or that clientele will seek out a place that provides the custom service needed for greatness.

So, join the burger revolution. One patty at a time. Visit your local market, look for 80% lean, and ask for it you have to. Once you bring it home, here’s the recipe to follow.

Oh, how about the difference between “healthy” 90% lean and “tasty” 80% lean. That difference in a 6 ounce burger amounts to just 0.6 ounces. Eating that much “additional” fat will only kill you if you consume two burgers a day. None of us do that. Not two.

Best Burgers

Yield: 4 burgers

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds ground chuck (80% lean)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-4 tablespoons oil
4 slices of cheese (optional)
4 buns, split, and optionally toasted

Preparation:

Divide the meat into four equal portions of about 6 ounces. Form each portion into a disk, about ¾ to 1 inch thick. Then, make a deep dent in the top of the burger with your thumb. This keeps the burger from puffing up when you cook. Why is that important? You don’t want to be squishing your burger down, because that means you are squishing juices out. Juices = fat. Fat = flavor.

Preheat an oven to 400°F. Allow the oven to really come up to that temperature.

Oil a cast iron skillet and heat until hot. Really, really salt and pepper both sides of your burgers. Really. You have no idea how much salt they use in a restaurant.

Place the burgers in the skillet and leave them alone for three minutes. Turn, and cook for another three minutes. Transfer the skillet to the hot oven and leave for two more minutes.

Remove the skillet. Serve the burgers. I suggest Russian Dressing: https://cookingbythebook.com//blog/cookbook-reviews/brians-russian-dressing/

Source: Suzen O’Rourke